Despite media hype, Atiq’s widow Shaista Parveen remains an enigma

LUCKNOW: In the past two months, Atiq’s widow Shaista Parveen has emerged as an enigma of sorts.

After the killing of her husband Atiq Ahmad, brother-in-law Ashraf and son Asad within a span of two days, she has become a subject of infotainment in the media and 'stories' about her are tumbling out with alacrity and alarming regularity.

Shaista Parveen (51) is a woman of many faces. Many know her as a devoted homemaker and mother while others claim she is an astute businesswoman who has been handling her husband Atiq Ahmad's finances ever since he was jailed in 2017. The police claims that she is a mafia don in her own right and adept at running her husband's gang. She is perfectly clued in about the loyalty quotient of the gang members and guards her sons against such elements.

Her relatives insist that she is deeply religious and remains behind a veil. They say that she is in 'iddat' - a period of mourning after her husband. "She is fiercely concerned about the welfare of her surviving four sons and will probably surrender when she is sure of the safety of their lives," said a relative on condition of anonymity. Shaista's two sons, Umar and Ali, are in jail while her minor sons Ahzan and Aaban are in police custody in a juvenile home.

Shaista did not attend the funeral of her husband, son and brother-in-law and the police checked all burqa-clad women during the burials. Police in plain clothes have also been deployed at the Kasari Masari graveyard, where Ahmed, Asad, and Ashraf are buried. Police officials suspect that Shaista Parveen and Zainab, (Ashraf's wife) may try to visit the graves of their husbands.

Police teams have been frantically searching for Shaista who is now an accused in the Umesh Pal murder. Raids are being carried out across states and the rumour mill is working overtime with stories about her presence, rather absence. A senior STF official said, "The fact that she has been able to evade dozens of police teams searching for her, shows that she should not be underestimated."

"Till she is arrested, Shaista Parveen will remain an enigma for all. Her story – when it is told – will be on the 'most wanted' list," said the police official. (IANS)

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